Forget Me Not
by Jazzabell
Summary: The Goddess of Spring no longer remembers her role in the Greek Pantheon and this is problematic because she no longer remembers her beloved husband either. Hades must watch from afar until of course he is given an opportunity to involve himself in her life once more. HadesxPersephone.


Chapter 1

Watching her this way always made his heart ache. It was an odd sort of ache, partially because she was so far away from him but yet, barely within reaching distance. The dynamic was wearing away his mettle. He knew it was wise to stay away, to stop feeding his eyes, to stop fuelling the memories but yet, the mere thought of staying away, of denying himself this one guilty pleasure caused his insides to convulse. How he wished he could approach her, let her know how much he wanted things to return to the way they were. But how could he? Athena specifically had advised him against it and she was amongst the wisest of those who gave counsel.

He witnessed a man just then take the seat opposite her. He had seen the man invite himself several times before and he was sure the gentleman in question was not interested in work. She laughed at something he said and brushed her fallen auburn hair away from her eyes before lazily resting her cheek on her propped hand. A waitress took the man's order and busily whisked away, the smile of service plastered on her lips. He hoped the man did not intend to walk with her today. He hated seeing the man impose on her routine; _Grab_ _a quick coffee after the office, linger on the boardwalk as the sun began to dip, watch the passing boats and fishing trawlers as they slowly chugged back to land._ He knew he was selfish in wanting to watch her for himself, but she was hardly a woman to not look at. She was very distracting.

He tugged at the tie around his neck, and thought then of his own disguise as an office worker. Small concerns, he just wanted to make sure she was always within sight. He rested his empty mug down and placed a tip next to it before shrugging his jacket off and making his way out of the café. With his jacket slumped over his shoulder he lingered a safe distance away so that he wouldn't miss her coming out of the shop. The boardwalk was teeming with tourists this evening and it was easy to get lost in the crowd. He noticed her unmistakable form then and perked up when he noticed she was without company. It was with glee he glided behind her knowing that the man had decided to let her be this evening.

She stopped at her usual spot on the bridge and slowly sipped her coffee. She looked ethereal against the glow of the late summer sun, her hair burning almost red in the light. She was a fierce woman, this he knew from experience but she was also very fragile and it was this combination that made her almost heady. He wondered if he dared approach her. Would it really makes things so bad? Would he upset the cosmic balance if he made a passing compliment? What would his siblings tell him? He scoffed at that one. He rarely ever entertained them and he was sure they had better things to do than wonder at his plight. Hopefully.

The urge to approach her was unbearable. He forced his eyes to turn away and abjectly fought down tears of frustration. No man should have to watch his wife from a distance every day, wishing it would be so simple to just throw himself back in her life. He began to shuffle away, still wrestling with his thoughts when the sound of running footsteps stopped him.

"Your jacket!" He whisked around then, taken aback to see his wife attempting to flag him down. He was confused for a minute, until he noticed his jacket flaying in her hands. She finally stopped before him, out of breath. Her hands were on her knees as she doubled over, her hair falling in messy waves of fire around her. "You-you left your jacket on-on the bridge" she supplied in puffs.

Words escaped him in that moment, his brain still attempting to make sense of how the entire situation had played out. Were one of the Olympians playing with his reality? Were they really having fun at his expense? He did not like the idea that they thought his situation comical in any way. He was the Lord of the Underworld for heaven's sake.

He must have been staring at her for longer than he imagined because she wrinkled her brows in worry. "Are-are you okay?"

He snapped then and nervously fidgeted with his fingers before shoving them into his pockets. "Thank you." She seemed to be expecting more and he promptly fished for something else to say.

"I was preoccupied. Stressful day. I-I really appreciate the effort." He nodded at the jacket in her hand and managed a weak smile. His heart was palpitating in his chest.

She smiled very prettily and chuckled. "It's okay." She paused then and tentatively added, "I've actually seen you around here before. Do you work in the area?"

He was surprised that she had even noticed him. It had never occurred to him that she would even look his way. "Well, um, yes, close enough. I just like the ambience of the boardwalk… lots of sights to draw you here after a long day."

"Hmm, that I agree with thoroughly. Persephone by the way. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand in a friendly way and the stammering God instantly clasped onto the proffer.

"Persephone as in the Goddess of Spring?"

"The one and only. I imagine my mother was a huge mythology fan."

"It's a beautiful name. My name is Evan and I'm sometimes called Hades only because my friends say I can be a real killer of fun." He smiled and wondered if he had said too much.

She laughed however and supplied, "It's ironic actually. A nice kind of ironic."

She had no idea how huge of an irony the entire thing really was.

They both stood looking at the other and for a moment Hades felt himself completely mesmerised by her beauty. It was hard to look away. He caught himself before his reverie began to seem too creepy.

"Would you like to join me for an early bite?"

She blinked in surprise and his heart sank. He had acted too quickly.

"It's okay, you-"

"That sounds lovely actually."

She flashed him what he was certain was a flirtatious smile as she began to walk ahead of him.

"Shall we?" she called.

It was strange, the entire thing. She was his wife but yet she had no memory of what they had shared and of how they had fallen in love. Each time he had looked at her, there was that memory of a kiss or an embrace or the memory of a private joke they had between them. She knew none of these things and yet she was willing to share a moment with him, a man whom she thought was a complete stranger.

He was happier than he had been in the past five years, happier because she was beside him, even if it was unknowingly. He didn't know how this meeting would affect the future but he was happy to go along for the ride.

**A/N: Haven't written in ages. Trying something here. Feeling somewhat inspired**


End file.
